High Representative Catherine Ashton appoints six new Heads of EU Delegations - Main contents

EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 02 May 2013 A

High Representative Catherine Ashton appoints six new Heads of EU Delegations

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the Commission, announced today the appointment of new Heads of EU Delegations to Azerbaijan, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan

The new appointments, part of the 2013 rotation exercise within the European External Action Service (EEAS), are as follows:

Malena Mard has been appointed Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan. She is currently Deputy Director General and Head of Department for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, having previously served in St Petersburg, Dhaka and Brussels

Alberto Navarro has been appointed Head of the EU Delegation to the Dominican Republic.

Currently the Spanish Ambassador to Morocco, he has also served as Director of ECHO and as Head of the former Commission Delegation to Brazil

Ketil Karlsen has been appointed Head of EU Delegation to Honduras. Since 2010 he has been Chargé d'Affaires at the Royal Danish Embassy to Zimbabwe and he previously served as Deputy Ambassador at the Danish Embassy for Central America in Nicaragua

Alessandro Palmero has been appointed Head of the EU Delegation to Paraguay. Currently Deputy Head of Division for the MERCOSUR countries in the EEAS, he has previously served as Head of Operations in the former Commission Delegation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

David Daly has been appointed Head of the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka. Currently Head of the EU Delegation to Australia and New Zealand in Canberra, he worked previously as Head of the Croatia Unit in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement

Cesare de Montis has been appointed Head of the EU Delegation to Kyrgyzstan. Currently Coordinator for the economic chapters of the EU's Association Agreement negotiations with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in the Eastern Partnership Bilateral division of the EEAS, he has previously served as Head of the former European Commission Delegations to Moldova and Venezuela

High Representative Catherine Ashton said: "I am delighted to announce the appointment of these excellent candidates to head up six EU Delegations abroad. Their talent and expertise are significant assets for the EU's external action and I look forward to working with them in their new roles".

NB: To complete appointments, an accreditation request for a new Head of Delegation is sent to the host country. The selected candidate may take up duty only once accreditation of the host country has been granted and a number of administrative formalities have been completed

For more information: http://www.eeas.europa.eu/index_en.htm